


a year and a day

by ObscureReference



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Background Noctis/Lunafreya, Blind Character, Blood and Gore, Brief Body Insecurity, Canon Disabled Character, Fitting In, Friendship, Little Mermaid Elements, M/M, Mentioned Fatphobia, Temporary Character Death, Very briefly and not described in full detail, and this is noticed, because of the above, but humans aren't always as accepting, the brief fatphobia being: it makes sense for mermaids to be fat, very briefly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 11:17:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9232487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObscureReference/pseuds/ObscureReference
Summary: a year and a day: a love story told in moments---This was his last chance to back out. The merman thought of the myths that had come before him. He wished."Yes," said the merman."A year and a day," said the witch.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote most of this on my phone while traveling and then only read over it once. Feel free to tell me if you see any mistakes!
> 
> Little Mermaid AUs are my jam.
> 
> Also, SPOILERS about who the blind character is if you haven't gotten far enough in the game. You probably shouldn't read if you don't know who that is.

"Now, one last question," the witch said, his voice smooth. The ocean wore all things away until they were smooth. "Do you really want this?"  
  
This was his last chance to back out. The merman thought of the myths that had come before him. He wished.  
  
"Yes," said the merman.  
  
"A year and a day," said the witch.

 

 

It hurt.  
  
  
  
  
He took up the name Prompto because that was the closest to his real name he could get with his clumsy human tongue. Nobody asked his name at first. He knew no one. But it was good to be prepared.  
  
He spent the first three days in a cave by the sea learning to walk. He wore the clothes he had stolen from careless or unlucky humans. He caught fish in the cove with his bare hands and ate it raw. He threw up. He learned humans couldn't eat the same way he once had. He did a lot of learning in those days. So much learning. Enough learning for a year squeezed into a few short days.  
  
When he had learned enough, he moved into the ramshackle home a local waitress told him had been empty for years. He stayed far from the sea.  
  
  
  
  
He needed money to do things, and he had only collected so much over the years.  He had only collected the shiny ones, the coins that sank and didn't blow away in the breeze when he hid them in the caves. He didn't know what most of it was worth until someone explained it to him. It wasn't a lot.  
  
The waitress was nice. She thought he was from a foreign country. He didn't correct her.  
  
The waitress helped him get a job. He washed dishes. Eventually, he helped take orders, but only when the restaurant wasn't busy. He knew the human's language—the language of the humans who had lived by the sea all his life, at least—but it was still hard to understand them when there was too much chatter. He earned enough to get by.  
  
  
  
  
Fat was good. The extra weight kept him warm under the waves. But the air was warmer than the sea, and he moved slowly. It was hard to find clothes that fit. Some people gave him looks. He didn't look like them.  
  
He wanted nothing more than to look like them.  
  
His limbs didn't move he way he wanted them to in the water anymore—too slow, too awkward, the water trickling through his fingertips when it used to catch on his webbing. He couldn't swim like he used to. That was fine. He didn't want to swim anymore anyway. He'd had enough saltwater for a lifetime.  
  
He got up in the mornings and ran. He ran in the afternoons. And, because he didn't have much else to do, he ran in the evenings.  
  
He still caught fish with his hands, but he took them back home now, cooking them over driftwood he collected on his runs. They usually came out burnt. He ate them anyway.  
  
Three months into his new life as a human, he bumped into a man at the market.  
  
  
  
  
"Sorry!" Prompto yelped. "Sorry! Are you okay?"  
  
The man adjusted the bag of fruit in his arms. He hadn't dropped the bag, which was good. Prompto would have felt bad if the apples had gone rolling across the pavement.  
  
"I'm fine," the man said. "Afraid I am unable to watch my step, as it were."  
  
Prompto knew this man. He came in to eat with the dark-haired guy and Iris' brother, Gladio. He didn't like the greasy food the restaurant had to offer. He never made faces or said anything, but Prompto knew. Iris' brother once called him "Iggy." Iggy was blind.  
  
Prompto knew blind. Clams were blind. Some fish were blind. Some had echolocation or other things to make up for their lack of sight. Iris told him bats were blind, so knew there were land creatures that worked the same. Blind worked.  
  
But humans didn't have that. They couldn't see without their eyes. It sucked.  
  
(That was another human expression. He had been learning a lot of those.)  
  
"My bad," Prompto said. Another human expression. He scratched the back of his neck. It was still weird to feel skin instead of scales. "It was my fault. I'll be more careful next time."  
  
He said those words a lot when working. He was still getting used to his legs.  
  
"No harm done," Iggy said. He inclined his head. "I'll be off then."  
  
He left. Prompto looked at the stall prices and considered what spices he could buy. He wanted to taste everything. Fish could only be changed so much, but he didn't have enough money for more yet. He avoided the salt.  
  
  
  
  
"So we meet again," Iggy said.  
  
Prompto fought to remember how his tongue worked. Human words. The stall manager he’d been talking to looked at him funny.

He found his voice. "Oh! It's you."  
  
"It's me," Ignis acknowledged. "And you are?"  
  
"Oh!" He hadn't expected to be asked. Nobody ever asked. At work, he wore a nametag. But he guessed Iggy couldn't see it. Or he wouldn't have needed to remember if he had. "I’m Prompto."  
  
"Prompto," Iggy repeated. "It's nice to hear you again."  
  
"Hear" because Iggy couldn't see. Right.  
  
Then Iggy walked away. Prompto stared after him until the stall manager cleared her throat to get his attention. He took his bags. She gave him another weird look. He went home and ran twice the usual distance that evening.  
  
  
  
  
The next time Iggy came by the restaurant, the dark-haired guy was with him.  
  
"Prom, could you get table seven for me?" Iris asked. She had her phone in one hand. Gladio's voice was coming through the speaker.  
  
The restaurant wasn't busy, so Prompto nodded.  
  
"Can I take your order?" he asked. Iggy lifted his head at the sound of his voice.  
  
"Ah," Iggy said. "A third meeting."  
  
The dark haired one nudged his side. "You know this guy, Ignis?"  
  
Ignis, not Iggy. Prompto had been wrong. Silly human ears.  
  
"We've met," Ignis said. He tilted his head in Prompto's direction. "How are you this afternoon?"  
  
"Fine, thanks," he's said, copying the way Iris always responded to the same question from customers. "And you?"  
  
"Very good, thank you."  
  
The dark-haired guy watched the exchange, saying nothing.  
  
"Uh." Prompto shifted. "May I take your order?"  
  
  
  
  
Ignis came in for a second day in a row with the dark-haired guy and Gladio. Prompto blinked extra hard when he saw them. They usually didn't come in on consecutive days.  
  
Iris served their table. She argued loudly with Gladio. So loud the whole restaurant heard every word, and even Prompto didn't have trouble making out the words. Taka shook his head, but he didn't scold her. Taka was nice. Plus, no other customers were around to complain.  
  
Prompto stayed in the back to clean dishes. And, because he couldn't avoid it, he listened. He learned things. The dark haired one's name was Noctis. Or Noct.  
  
Sometimes the arguments devolved into laugher. Sometimes other people besides just Iris and Gladio laughed.  
  
Ignis had a nice laugh.  
  
  
  
  
"Prompto! Come here!" Iris waved him over.  
  
The restaurant was empty again. Noctis, Gladio, and Ignis only came in when the restaurant was empty. When Iris was having a slow day. Gladio must have memorized her schedule.  
  
Prompto came over. "Did you need something?"  
  
Maybe Iris needed him to get a refill. Maybe she was going on break. She was already sitting next to her brother, name tag on the table. Off duty then.  
  
Iris patted the empty space next to her. "Sit with us."  
  
"But..."  
  
She waved him off. "Nobody's here, and Taka can handle the back for a few minutes. Come on. Sit with us."  
  
He hesitated for another moment before quietly sliding into the booth.  
  
  
  
  
Gladio was all big gestures when he spoke. "So then Ignis walks in, and he's like, 'What the hell are you doing? The whole house smells like gas, you idiot.'"  
  
"I don't believe I said it quite like that," Ignis protested, though he was smiling.  
  
"You basically did," Noctis said. He had a soft voice. Soft was nice.  
  
Iris rolled her eyes. She leaned in close to Prompto, whispering in his ear. "I've heard this story a million times."  
  
She was smiling anyway.  
  
"Anyway," Gladio said. "That's why Noct isn't allowed to cook anymore."  
  
"I can cook," Noctis said. "I just don't want to."  
  
"Yeah, right. I've seen what you call cooking. I wouldn't touch it with a ten-foot pole."  
  
Noctis grimaced. Prompto laughed into his hand.  
  
"It's okay," Prompto assured him. "I'm not much of a cook either."  
  
Iris gestured to the kitchen with her thumb. "That's why we leave it to the professionals."  
  
"And Iggy," Gladio added.  
  
Ignis adjusted his glasses and didn't comment, but Prompto thought he looked happy.  
  
  
  
  
"Your accent," Noctis said.  
  
Prompto shut his mouth tight. Sometimes he had trouble forming words. He was so used to more guttural vocal cords, sharper teeth.  
  
"It's familiar," Noctis continued. "Where are you from?"  
  
Everyone looked curious. Even Iris, even though she never outright asked. Prompto stood up.  
  
"Coming!" he said loudly, as though Taka had called him. He rushed into the kitchen and didn't come back out until more customers trickled in. Gladio and friends were gone by then.  
  
When he saw Iris again, her face was red.  
  
"Sorry," she said. "I told them not to bring it up again. They won't."  
  
And they didn't.  
  
  
  
  
The next time the group came in, it was Ignis who invited him to sit with them.  
  
Prompto had been hanging back, faking errands, but he saw Gladio whisper something into Ignis' ear as he passed. Ignis held out his hand.  
  
"You're welcome to join us, if you'd like," Ignis said. He did not say _as an apology for the other day,_ but Prompto could see it in their faces.  
  
"Uh." He looked away. From the kitchen doorway, Iris motioned him to sit. "If you're sure?"  
  
Noctis shrugged. "Whatever you want."  
  
Prompto sat.  
  
  
  
  
Prompto watched the way they interacted. The familiarity, the comfortability of it all. He wanted to know what that was like. To have people know you inside and out.  
  
  
  
  
"You've never eaten a sundae," Noctis said in disbelief.  
  
Prompto shook his head. "Nope. Never had one."  
  
There were a lot of foods he'd never tried. He wanted to try them all. No more fish.  
  
"How?" Noctis asked. His eyes were wide.

At the same time, Gladio called out to Iris. "Four sundaes!"  
  
"I've just never—Wait." Prompto did a quick headcount. "I didn't—"  
  
"It's just ice cream," Gladio said. "Don't worry about it."  
  
"Our treat," Noctis said.  
  
Prompto's stomach flipped. "But I can't--"  
  
"You'll be giving us the honor of a new experience," Ignis said. His shoulder brushed Prompto's. "Unless you truly do not like ice cream, in which case I'm sure Noctis or Gladio will be happy to finish your meal."  
  
"Hey—"  
  
"You trying to say something, Iggy?"  
  
Ignis ignored them.  
  
"It's whatever you wish," he said. His gaze was pretty intense for someone who technically didn’t know what they were looking at.  
  
Prompto relaxed. "Yeah. Okay."  
  
  
  
  
He liked sundaes.  
  
  
  
  
He liked Ignis too. And Noctis and Gladio. Iris talked about them enough that he felt like he knew them better than he actually did. He liked Iris, of course. She was nice.  
  
Ignis, Noctis, and Gladio stopped by a lot. Sometimes to eat and sometimes just to say hello. Slowly, he got used to them. And he thought they were getting used to him.  
  
  
  
  
Sometimes when they ran into each other, Ignis asked Prompto to hold his arm and help him find certain stores or walk across the street. Ignis had a cane and he knew the area better than Prompto, so Prompto didn't know why Ignis asked him. But he liked being close.  
  
  
  
  
"Come to movie night," Iris said. "It'll be fun."  
  
Prompto had never seen a movie before. He agreed.  
  
  
  
  
"I'll go make some popcorn," Iris said, leaving him in the hall. "Noctis and the others will be here soon. You should go meet Luna in the living room."  
  
Luna's skin was thick. She sat tall in her chair, spine stiff. She was heavyset. Her hair fell against her shoulder like kelp in the waves. Her eyes shined like pearls. Prompto knew what she was the moment he saw her. The air left his lungs.  
  
Luna turned towards him at the sound. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Are you..." He trailed off.  
  
Prompto's human tongue couldn't form the words he wanted to speak, the names now lost to him. He didn't know of any sea dwellers who had made it topside and survived. He didn’t think any existed.

There had been legends. He had hoped.  
  
"I made a deal," Luna said, voice firm but kind. "And I got away."  
  
She waited in silent question.  
  
"I made a deal," Prompto said.  
  
A year and a day.  
  
  
  
  
Luna spoke clearer than he did. Her tongue moved better. Still, he could see why Noct had asked where he was from. They were so different from the humans. He thought he had been blending in, but now, listening to Luna speak, he could see that he was still different.  
  
He didn't want to be.  
  
  
  
  
"I made popcorn!" Iris shouted from the kitchen. "It has extra butter!"

The doorbell rang.  
  
  
  
  
During the movie, Luna and Noctis sat close. His arm laid across her shoulders. She leaned into him. They were cute. Something inside Prompto felt heavy.  
  
  
  
  
Gladio made loud commentary about the characters onscreen, what they were doing and how ridiculous they looked. Everyone listened. Sometimes Prompto made comments too.  
  
At one point, Gladio went to the bathroom, and Iris left to get more snacks. Luna and Noctis were engrossed with each other.  
  
Ignis didn't ask, but Prompto described what the characters were doing anyway. He described the car they drove in and the food they ate. Their clothes. The way they looked. It was hard to always think of the right word, but he thought he did pretty okay.  
  
Gladio came back, but he didn't tell Prompto to stop. Neither did Ignis. So he kept going.  
  
  
  
  
"We're watching another movie next week," Iris said. "We watch at least one a month. It's mandatory family bonding time."  
  
Suddenly Prompto felt bad. He didn't know he'd been intruding.  
  
"You should come next week," Iris said.  
  
  
  
  
Prompto wasn't going to come, but the next week Iris had all but dragged him from the restaurant after their shifts were over. He ended up back on the couch, squeezed between Iris and Ignis. Gladio took up the end. Noctis and Luna got their own chair.  
  
He spoke more in one sitting than he had in the past few months. When he left, his cheeks hurt from smiling. It was nice.  
  
  
  
  
"We seem to run into each other often while shopping," Ignis said.  
  
Prompto agreed because now that he knew who to look for, he spotted Ignis more and more. He never knew what to say, though, so he didn't say anything, even though he kind of wanted to.  
  
Noctis or Gladio had been with him more than once. But more often than not Ignis was alone.  
  
"I'm rather adequate at deciphering quality by touch alone, but I wouldn't mind having an extra pair of eyes helping me decide what ingredients to get,” Ignis said. “At your convenience, of course."  
  
  
  
  
"That one's okay," Prompto said. "But it's kind of bruised. Let's try this one instead."  
  
He handed Ignis a different tomato. Ignis turned it over in his hands. He nodded in satisfaction.  
  
"Good," he said. "Let’s find two more of these."  
  
  
  
  
"I appreciate the assistance," Ignis said. "I can do this on my own just fine, but it's always nice to double check that I'm buying the highest quality produce."  
  
Prompto thought Ignis found the highest quality goods no matter what. He was really picky and tended to haggle with the shop keepers. It was educational to watch.  
  
"It's no problem!" he said. "I'm not doing much anyway, so I don't mind."  
  
"Glad to hear it," Ignis said.

It sounded like he meant it. Prompto beamed.  
  
  
  
  
They went grocery shopping once a week. Sometimes more if Ignis found him at the restaurant and needed some supplies. Prompto didn't know how he went through groceries so fast. Apparently Ignis cooked a lot.  
  
Prompto didn't always buy food, but he liked getting out and about.  
  
  
  
  
"I shall have to make something for you one of these days," Ignis said.  
  
Prompto felt his face grow warm. "You don't have to."  
  
"Nonsense," Ignis said. "It's only fair. You help me with the most difficult part, after all."  
  
Prompto thought figuring out what kind of heat to use and what to put in the food was hard, but he didn't say anything. He didn’t know anything. He still burned fish.  
  
  
  
  
"He's blond," said Noctis, because he truly had a way with words.  
  
"Freckles," said Gladio, because he was only marginally better. "A little shorter than Noct. Rounder. "  
  
Then, because Gladio was a sap, he said, "You'd like him."  
  
Ignis adjusted his sunglasses. "I assure you that I am merely curious."  
  
"Sure."  
  
  
  
  
Ignis dragged his hand along a shelf. His fingers came back coated in dust.  
  
Prompto hadn't gotten used to the whole "cleaning" thing yet. It was weird to imagine that the sea wouldn't just wipe everything away.  
  
"You live here?"  
  
Prompto looked at his home. It was tiny. There were walls. Nothing like the open sea. He never mentioned it, but he didn't like how enclosed it was. That was why he spent so much time outside. Running.  
  
But he had a bed. It was a mattress he had saved up for. He had never slept on a mattress, on springs and cloth, before. It was new. He had grown used to it. He kept it in the corner, in the biggest room. The barest room.  
  
There was a tiny kitchen. He had fiddled with the wires until he got the stove to work again. He was still fixing the oven. But it worked. He cooked things. He had a bathroom. It was his home.  
  
He knew Ignis had a bigger home, but that didn't matter because this was Prompto's home. His first one.  
  
Maybe this was one of those things Prompto was supposed to be embarrassed about. He didn't understand why. Ignis couldn't see it anyway, even if the air was really dusty. And there was a draft. And everything squeaked when they walked.  
  
Back in the sea, Prompto had lived near a sunken ship. His human home reminded him of it.  
  
"Yeah," Prompto said. "No one lived here. Now I do."  
  
"So you just... moved in?" Ignis said lightly.  
  
"Is that bad?"  
  
Ignis shook his head, but Prompto wasn't sure if that was "no" or not. "If no one has bothered you yet, I doubt they will anytime soon."  
  
  
  
  
Ignis gave him a bunch of stuff. House stuff. Mostly cooking stuff.  
  
"This mallet is for tenderizing meat," Ignis said, gesturing to the set of utensils he had placed on the wobbly table. "And the long knife is for fish."  
  
Prompto was a little sick of fish. He still ate it. It was the one thing he could eat when he didn't have any more money. He didn't know you needed special knives to eat it though.  
  
Ignis smiled when Prompt said so. "It's mostly used during preparation, not consumption. I noticed you tend to eat fish quite often, however, so I thought it might help."  
  
"Thanks," Prompto said, because that was a thing humans did. They gave each other things and said thanks. He’d seen it.  
  
Ignis pulled out more pots and pans and told him different things they could be used for. Most of it went over Prompto's head. But he liked spending time together.  
  
When Ignis left, Prompto stored the cooking utensils in the good cabinet and went out to catch some fish by the cove.  
  
  
  
  
Noctis said, "You might as well come to dinner already."  
  
Dinner was at Gladio's house. He lived with Iris, but she was out visiting a friend.  
  
When Prompto arrived, Ignis was already busy in the kitchen.  
  
Noctis waved a controller from the living room. "You game?"  
  
Prompto had never played a video game before, but he thought he got the hang of it by the end. Noctis had a competitive streak. Gladio encouraged it, teasing. They all laughed.  
  
  
  
  
"This is amazing!" Prompto said. "You're amazing!"  
  
"Ignis is a good cook," Gladio agreed. He looked pointedly between them. "He does everything by touch. He times it all out in his head."  
  
Ignis shook his head. "Come now, it's nothing special."  
  
Prompto could barely believe food could taste this good. "It totally is! You're the greatest!"  
  
Noctis accidentally dropped a meatball onto the floor.  
  
  
  
  
Prompto went home pleasantly full.  
  
  
  
  
"A camera?" Prompto said. He turned the clunky object over in his hands. It was a little heavy.  
  
"Yeah," Iris said. "You're always looking at that photography place down the street. You stare at those pictures in the windows when we walk by. I thought you might want one."  
  
Prompto's grip tightened on the camera. "But I haven't..."

It was like when Ignis had given him the pots. But different.  
  
"It's a gift," Iris said. She looked a little sad. "Just say 'thanks.'"  
  
"Thank you," he said, throat tight.  
  
  
  
  
Once Prompto got the hang of how the camera worked, he took as many pictures as he could. Pictures of Iris, Gladio, Noctis and Luna. Ignis. Pictures of Taka and the restaurant. Pictures of other stores, of Noctis shoving Gladio's face into his birthday cake, of Luna and Iris in their new dresses.

He took pictures of Ignis fussing over Noctis and debating over fruit at the market. He took pictures of Talcott and Jared, the grandfather and grandson duo who always wanted to chat. He took pictures of Noctis sleeping in his car, of Gladio wrestling some guys at a bar, of Ignis getting harassed by birds. Pictures of Taka hanging up their new sign. He took a few pictures of himself too, at Iris' insistence.  
  
He bought some tacks and developed the film. He hung the images up on his bedroom wall. They were permanent reminders. The things he had done, the people he had met. He loved it.

At night, he stared at the photographs until he drifted off to sleep.  
   
  
  
  
Prompto started saving up money. He wanted to buy a better camera and better film. He wanted better pictures.

He always planned on keeping the camera Iris had given him, though. It was a gift.  
  
  
  
  
Eventually, it got cold outside and he had to use his camera money to buy a thick coat instead. It made Prompto sad. But it kept him warm, and Iris and Taka stopped fussing over him every time he walked into the restaurant shivering. Ignis and Noct and Gladio looked happier too.  
  
He set aside a new pile of money for a camera.  
  
  
  
  
"Never?" Iris repeated.  
  
"Not ever," Prompto assured her. He'd never seen snow up close. It always melted the moment it touched the water. The salt wouldn’t let it freeze.  
  
She threw his jacket at him. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's close up already! We'll have a snowball fight!"  
  
"A what?"  
  
Iris stared. "You didn't _not_ just say that."  
  
  
  
  
Snowball fights were fun, even if Iris did use his ignorance to her advantage by tossing snowball after snowball his way until he figured out what she was doing.  
  
He learned very fast that snow was cold. And that it turned to slush faster than he would have thought. By the time they had tired themselves out, Prompto couldn't feel his hands anymore. Taka had stayed behind to watch their fight, and when they were done, he ushered them both back inside and forced cups of hot chocolate into their hands.  
  
Gladio must have spotted them from the window, because when Iris went to leave, he dumped a bucket of snow on her head. Talcott ran by and said he could hear her from up the street.  
  
Prompto and Gladio laughed. Iris was laughing too once she tackled her brother into the snow.  
  
  
  
  
"It's a snow angel," Luna explained.  
  
"You just lay down and... wave your arms?"  
  
"Yes," she said. "It's meant to be fun."  
  
So he made a snow angel. It was nice.

 

 

 

 “A snowball fight?” Ignis said on their shopping trip that evening. “Tell me about it.”

Prompto did. He got excited just thinking about his time in the snow again, and he didn’t realize how loud he was being until a little old lady shushed him. Then he quieted down until Ignis prodded him to speak up again.

“Come now,” Ignis said. “You haven’t told me what Iris has planned to get back at Gladio yet.”

Prompto shrugged. In the distance, he saw Iris hanging around the hot pepper stall. He looked away, feeling the urge to smile. “I think I might know.”

Ignis raised an eyebrow. Prompto breathed in.  
  
  
  
  
The snow was nice at first. But then it piled and piled until Prompto's roof began leaking. He placed Ignis' good pots under the leaks to catch the water, even though he felt bad about it.  
  
Fixing roofs was expensive.  
  
  
  
  
He didn't mean to tell anybody, but Iris found out anyway.  
  
"Your roof is _what_?" Iris stressed. "For how long?"  
  
Prompto scuffed his foot against the floor. He looked away. "I don't know. A while."  
  
"How long is a while?"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"I don't know how to fix it," he confessed.  
  
  
  
  
Iris told Gladio. Gladio told everyone else. Prompto finally figured out why people got embarrassed. He didn't like everyone fussing over him.  
  
"It's not even that big," he said. He felt bad that everyone was there.  
  
Noctis eyed the hole. "It's definitely _not_ small."  
  
"It's definitely small."  
  
"I've seen leaks. That is not a small leak."  
  
  
  
  
"I'm surprised this entire section didn't cave in," Gladio said.  
  
So it wasn't a small leak.  
  
  
  
  
They patched the roof so it wouldn't cave in. It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  
  
"Don't mention it," Noctis said when Prompto apologized for the fifth time. "It's what friends are for."  
  
Friends. Prompto mouthed the word to himself. He hadn't used that one yet.  
  
Noctis peered at him, frowning. "You do know we're friends, right? All of us."  
  
He knew they were something. He just hadn't had a name for it.  
  
Prompto was saved from having to answer when Gladio chimed in with, "Don't know what you're thanking Noct for. I'm the one who did all the work."  
  
"I supervised," Noctis shot back.  
  
Ignis sighed.  
  
"Next time," he said quietly, while Noctis and Gladio bickered. "Tell us when you're troubled. It's no bother."  
  
Prompto didn't think he would, but he nodded anyway.  
  
  
  
  
Ignis started coming over every couple days to check on him. Prompto said he didn't have to, but Ignis said he didn't _have_ to do anything. Prompto didn't get it. Gladio told him that there was no stopping Ignis, so Prompto should just let him do whatever he wanted.  
  
He didn't want Ignis to think he couldn't take care of himself. But he didn't mind seeing Ignis more often either.  
  
  
  
  
"You'll catch cold," Ignis said, running his hands along Prompto's thin walls and feeling the chilly breeze that seeped through the cracks.  
  
"It's fine," Prompto said. "It's not a big deal."  
  
Ignis couldn't convince him to find a new house, so he started bringing over more soup instead. It was really good.  
  
  
  
  
Noctis offered to let Prompto move in with him. Prompto rejected the idea from the start.  
  
Noctis shrugged, but after that he always frowned whenever Prompto said he was heading home.  
  
  
  
  
Sometimes, Ignis paused in the middle of a sentence like he was going to say something. Prompto always waited, but Ignis never followed through. He shook his head and picked up where he left off.  
  
Prompto didn't know what he was going to say. He hoped it wasn't anything bad. He liked Ignis. A lot.  
  
They still went grocery shopping, even though it was cold now. The produce wasn't as fresh. But it was fun.  
  
  
  
  
Gladio bought a motorcycle. He gushed over the thing until Iris took it for a spin one evening, and then Prompto listened to him fume about safety and what deathtraps motorcycles could be and, "What if something happens?"  
  
"Then you deal with it," Prompto said.  
  
"She'll be fine," Noctis said.  
  
Those were not the answers Gladio was looking for.  
  
"Where'd she even learn to ride a motorcycle anyway?" he muttered.  
  
Ignis smiled. "From you, most likely."  
  
  
  
  
Iris came back, safe and sound. She grinned, pulled off her helmet, and ran her fingers through her windswept hair.  
  
"That was great!" she gushed. "You have to try it with me!”  
  
"Uh." Gladio was headed their way. "Maybe next time."  
  
  
  
  
" _Siblings_ ," Noctis sighed as Gladio and Iris left. They were already squabbling.  
  
Prompto looked at him. "I thought you were an only child?"  
  
"I am," Noctis said. "But I've known those two long enough to know what it's like."  
  
Ignis hummed. "Perhaps if Gladio was a little less enthusiastic in his reactions, Iris would be less inclined to want to draw a reaction out of him."  
  
"Maybe," Noctis said.  
  
Prompto wondered what it was like to have a brother or sister you could fight with in the first place. "Yeah, maybe."  
  
  
  
  
Winter lasted a long time, but eventually the snow started to melt. The trees grew leaves. The sun shined longer. He didn't have to wear his thick coat every day.  
  
One day, Iris came into the restaurant with a bouquet and said, "Hey, Prom? When's you're birthday? I've known you for almost a year, and we've celebrated everybody's but yours."  
  
Prompto dropped the glass he was holding.  
  
Iris stuck her head in the doorway. She was frowning. "Prompto?"  
  
"Sorry!" He rushed to get a broom.  
  
Almost a year.  
  
  
  
  
"Oh," Prompto said when he saw the time. He knew it was dark out, but he hadn't thought it had gotten that late. "I should go."  
  
Ignis had cooked again. It was amazing, as usual. Gladio and Noctis had already fallen asleep on the couch. Iris was in the spare bedroom, too tired to walk home with her brother.  
  
Ignis motioned for him to wait. "It's rather late for you to go now. You might as well spend the night."  
  
"But Iris has the spare room," Prompto said.

And Noctis and Gladio took up the whole couch. As much as he liked Ignis, he thought he might like sleeping on his own mattress more than Ignis' floor. Even though that meant walking home in the dark. And the still somewhat cold. Alone. While Ignis kept leftovers in the fridge.  
  
As if reading his mind, Ignis said, "You can sleep in my room." When Prompto opened his mouth to protest, he said, "With me."  
  
Oh.  
  
"Oh," said Prompto. "Okay."  
  
Ignis nodded. "Let me clean up a bit."  
  
  
  
  
They slept. Ignis' bed was warm. Much warmer than Prompto's house. His bed was soft, and the sheets wrapped around him like a feather. It was the perfect sized mattress for two people.  
  
When Prompto woke up, he found that he had rolled close to Ignis in his sleep. Their faces were so close they almost touched. It was cozy. Ignis hair laid flat when he slept. It was new. Not bad. Prompto closed his eyes and fell back asleep.  
  
When he woke up a second time, Ignis was gone. He left the bedroom to find Noctis basically asleep at the kitchen table. He said Gladio was on his morning jog. Ignis was making pancakes.  
  
"Good morning," Ignis said with a smile. The griddle in front of him sizzled.  
  
"Mornin'," Prompto greeted, yawning. Even with bed head, Ignis looked good.  
  
In the background, he heard Iris stumble into the bathroom and shut the door.  
  
Noctis fell asleep with his cheek pressed into his plate. There was an indent in his face for the rest of breakfast.  
  
  
  
  
Iris, Gladio, and Noctis left that afternoon, but Prompto somehow ended up spending the night again. Ignis didn't seem to mind. He seemed happy for the company.  
  
That evening, Ignis broke out the wine.  
  
  
  
  
"I've never had wine before," Prompto said, taking a glass. "Are you sure I can have this? It looks expensive."  
  
"It's fine," Ignis assured him. "I've been saving it, and now seems a good a time as any."  
  
"What's so special about now?"  
  
"Winter is almost over," Ignis said. "The cold is lifting. We have good friends and high spirits. It is nearing the anniversary of when we first met. Why not?"  
  
So Prompto poured the wine.  
  
  
  
  
"I've never been drunk before," he slurred. Ignis' head was on his shoulder. The empty wine bottle sat on the table.  
  
Ignis hummed. "I dare say you have now."  
  
Prompto pushed his glass away so he wouldn't risk knocking it off the table. "It’s strong."  
  
Ignis's nose hit his bicep.  
  
"I'm afraid you might be, as Gladio would put it, a lightweight."  
  
Prompto hazarded a guess that Ignis was a little drunk too.  
  
  
  
  
"Can I confess something to you?"  
  
Prompto's heart sped up. "Anything."  
  
"I don't actually like cooking."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't dislike it, but it does nothing for me. I just got into the habit because I was afraid Noct would die of mal-malnu-lack of good food if I didn't."  
  
"Lair. You're a liar. You're lying."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"But you're so great!"  
  
Ignis shook his head. He straightened, so Prompto took the opportunity to reverse their roles, leaning on his shoulder instead. He closed his eyes.  
  
"Being decent at something and liking something are two different things," Ignis said.  
  
Prompto was tired, and his head was spinning from the sudden cooking revelation. He could barely believe it.  
  
"You don't have to cook for me," he mumbled into Ignis' shoulder. "I'd cook for you, but I think I'd just mess it up."  
  
Ignis wrapped an arm around his shoulder.  
  
"It's the thought that counts."  
  
   
  
  
"We should go to bed."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
  
  
  
The lights were off when they stumbled into bedroom. Ignis didn't mind, and Prompto only hit his shin once before he found the bed. He was nearly asleep when Ignis spoke up again.  
  
"Besides," Ignis said quietly. "I don't like cooking, but I like cooking for you."  
  
  
  
  
Even though the spare bed was now empty, somehow Prompto had ended up sharing with Ignis again. He blamed the alcohol.  
  
In the morning, he went grocery shopping with Ignis before he finally went home.

Iris greeted him at work with a wave and a grin.  
  
  
  
  
Spring came. The air was warm. Prompto was halfway to saving for a new camera.  
  
Luna came into the restaurant with Noctis one day. She smiled at him as he passed. He smiled back. Noctis, starry eyed, held her hand.  
  
  
  
  
"Let's just go on a walk today," Prompto said.  
  
Ignis nodded. "It's a pleasant day for one. Shall we?"  
  
He held out the crook of his arm. Prompto took it. The air was warm.  
  
  
  
  
It had been a year.  
  
"You ready?" Ignis asked.  
  
Never. "Yeah."  
  
They walked to the market. Iris waved goodbye from the window.  
  
  
  
  
Somebody placed their hand on his lower back.  
  
"A year and a day," the witch whispered into his ear.  
  
Prompto gasped. He dropped the container of ground pepper in his hands. The glass shattered on the ground. Ignis' head jerked in his direction sharply.  
  
"Don't forget," the witch said. He walked away.  
  
Prompto's legs buckled. He caught himself on a shelf.  
  
The witch. With legs. On land.  
  
For him.

Of course, he had always known this day would come. He just…  
  
"Prompto!" Ignis said, quickly making his way to Prompto's side. He stepped on the glass. It crunched underfoot. Prompto stared into the crowd.  
  
A year and a day.  
  
Prompto searched for his voice. "I'm fine!" Too loud. "I'm fine, no worries."  
  
Ignis curled his fingers protectively over Prompto's bicep. "Who was that man?"  
  
Prompto mouthed with witch's name with his heavy human tongue. He guessed the translation as close as he could.  
  
"Ardyn."  
  
He told Ignis not to come over tomorrow. Ignis, face pinched, said he understood.  
  
A year and a day.  
  
  
  
  
"Do you remember our agreement?" the witch asked.  
  
Prompto nodded.  
  
"A year and a day," said the witch. "A year and a day, and you would have one. Where is it?"  
  
He thought about throwing up in the cove by the sea. He thought about grocery shopping and movie nights. He thought about friendship and sundaes and Ignis. A year and a day. He had learned so much.  
  
"Where is it?" the witch asked.  
  
Wordlessly, Prompto pointed.  
  
  
  
  
He had been asked not to come over today.  
  
Ignis came anyway.  
  
"Prompto?" he called, letting his voice carry. He reached out to knock on the door and found the wood gave way. It was already open. He walked in. "I know you asked me not to visit, but--"  
  
Ignis tripped over something heavy. He fell face first onto the hardwood floor, knocking the wind out of himself.  
  
"Prompto? I'm sorry, I seem to have—"  
  
His hand landed in something sticky. Ignis shut his mouth. He felt around until he found the thing he had tripped over.  
  
"Prompto?"  
  
  
  
  
The floorboards squealed.  
  
"I see you're a friend of his," said the man who had scared Prompto in the market.  
  
"What did you do to him?" Ignis said, his voice strange and thick. It sounded foreign to his own ears. "What did you do?"  
  
He was still crouched on the floor. His hands were coated in blood. He had flipped Prompto onto his back, felt the wound in his chest. Brushed his fingertips along the knife the bastard had left in Prompto's chest, the cooking knife Ignis had given Prompto as a _gift_. The knife that had carved him open like a fish.  
  
" _What_ ," said Ignis. "Did you do?"  
  
"Oh," Ardyn crooned. "A romantic."  
  
  
  
  
"He owed me something," Ardyn said, voice like an oil slick. "We made a deal."  
  
"What?" Ignis asked.  
  
What, what, _what_ could be so important to kill Prompto over? To stick a knife in him _(the knife Ignis had given him)_ like it was nothing. To leave him bleeding out on the dusty floor while Ignis, ignorant, useless—  
  
Footsteps grew closer.  
  
Ardyn pressed something wet and warm into his hands.  
  
  
  
  
"A year and a day," said the witch. "He owed me a heart."  
  
  
  
  
Ignis' own heart pounded in his chest. Blood rushed in his ears.  
  
He spoke.  
  
  
  
  
Ardyn said, "That wasn't the deal."  
  
Ignis said, "A heart is a heart is a heart."  
  
  
  
  
Prompto woke up. He coughed, his chest feeling sore and heavy. Ignis helped him sit up. He kept one hand placed on Prompto's lower back and the other wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him close. They both ignored the sticky wetness Ignis smeared onto his skin.  
  
"How?" he croaked.  
  
"You needed a heart before the year was up," Ignis said. "Ardyn violated the contract. I had already given you mine."  
  
Ignis kissed him. Prompto’s chest felt full.  


**Author's Note:**

> The art book says Ignis doesn't actually love cooking that much. I was shocked when I read this. All he wants to do is feed everyone. But apparently he gets satisfaction out of the faces of those he feeds rather than from the cooking itself, so that's pretty sweet. Also, if anyone has any problems with how I wrote Ignis being blind, feel free to tell me! I definitely want to acknowledge it as a thing that canonically happened, but I don't want to be weird about it either. I want to do a good job representing him. 
> 
> I started to write more after the kiss, but I realized that if I was sticking to a year and a day timeline, I really had to stick to it. Maybe more some other time, if something really, really inspires me. 
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment below or hit me up on my [tumblr!](http://someobscurereference.tumblr.com/)


End file.
